Kids can really get better quickly. Here's another thing I would like to say: Kids should never be coached by their parents, ever. They should be as natural as possible.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
If children can't handle competition when it's necessary, or take some criticism, or never strive to be better because their parents inadvertently programmed them to believe they are already the best even when they're not, then they are in for some serious shocks and bumps down the road.
And then ultimately what I tell the kids is: coaches can give you information, they can give you guidelines, and they can put you in a position. But the only person who can truly make you better is you.
If you want your children to improve, let them overhear the nice things you say about them to others.
I had a lot of coaches growing up that were very hard on the kids in the name of building character, but it could have the opposite effect on kids.
We're good at taking care of little kids, and spend a lot of energy teaching them things like how to read. But when kids get as tall as their parents and can look them in the eyes, we tend to drop the ball - at a time they most need a loving consistent community of adults, be it parents, aunts, uncles, or others.
There is such pressure on kids these days to be the best at everything.
With the right help, children have a good chance of overcoming their issues while they are still young and can have the bright future they deserve.
The parents have not only to train their children: it is of at least equal importance that they should train themselves.
Kids are mostly very resilient.
Developing better people should be the number one goal for any coach when dealing with kids. In trying to develop better people, we are going to develop more and better pros.